Karl-Friedrich Scheufele on Chopard’s Family Legacy and Watchmaking Innovation

Under the stewardship of the Scheufele family, Chopard has continued to build nurturing relationships that span decades, from the Mille Miglia to the Cannes Film Festival. RR India spoke with Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele at the Gentlemen’s Evening in Cannes that is also hosted by him and asked about the maison’s enduring partnerships, running a family enterprise, and his thoughts about working closely with his son Karl-Fritz.

Robb Report India (RR): Chopard has been partnering with the Cannes Film Festival for nearly three decades. 

KarlFriedrich Scheufele (KS): Our partnership with Cannes began in 1998, and has grown stronger every year since. We are the only official partner from our industry. Chopard is also the artisan behind the Palme d’Or, the festival’s iconic trophy, crafted in our workshops using ethical gold. 

RR: The focus in Cannes was on Chopard’s chiming watches. Could you tell us more about the minute repeaters? 

KS: Chiming watches bring history, engineering, craftsmanship, sound, and emotion together. They allow time to be experienced through more than one sense. A striking watch chimes the hours automatically, while a minute repeater, activated on demand, strikes the hours, quarters and minutes in distinct tones, allowing time to be heard rather than read. In most minute repeaters, the sound remains partially confined within the case, and its quality is influenced by the case material. With Chopard’s patented sapphire monobloc technology, however, the gongs are integrated with the crystal as a single piece, allowing the sound to travel directly through the sapphire. The result is a clearer, more precise, and more transparent acoustic experience. 

RR: Chopard introduced antimagnetic hairsprings in Alpine Eagle 41 AM at Watches & Wonders 2026. Will we see the introduction of this innovation in other models in the future? 

KS: The Alpine Eagle 41 AM introduces the first anti-magnetic hairspring within the collection. The alloy used for the hairspring offers markedly superior resistance to magnetic fields and significantly reduces their impact on precision. This innovation is based on a metallic solution rather than a synthetic onea metallic hairspring offers clear advantages in terms of longevity and serviceability, as it can be adjusted by a watchmaker over time. We do plan to introduce this technology progressively across the Alpine Eagle range.

RR: What were the highlight launches at Watches and Wonders this year? 

KS: At Watches & Wonders, we unveiled a continuation of the original L.U.C 1860. Thirty years on, the L.U.C Grand Strike stands as the ultimate expression of our journey. The L.U.C Strike One, the first striking watch in our movement family and an important step towards mastering chiming complications such as the minute repeater and the grand sonnerie is another one of the milestones in our journey. We later equipped the L.U.C Strike One with the same advanced technology found in our minute repeaters, most notably a sapphire crystal gong. This year’s reinterpretation features an elegant, salmon-coloured dial paired with a lightweight titanium case. The in-house guilloché dial exemplifies Chopard’s enduring commitment to craftsmanship, innovation, and technical excellence. 

RR: Tell us about the special Mille Miglia watch. 

KS: With Raticosa, the new interpretation of the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph, Chopard pays tribute to one of the race’s most significant points: The Raticosa Pass. The pass connects Florence and Bologna through a series of dramatic curves carved into the mountainside. The engraving of the landscape on the titanium caseback carries deep symbolic meaning. It is not purely vintage, but rather a contemporary interpretation rooted in heritage. 

RR: How does it feel to run a family business in a world dominated by conglomerates? 

KS: We believe in doing everything in-house from development, design, production, and distribution right through to retail. I am truly happy to see a new generation continuing what I started with Chopard Manufacture and, of course, contributing to the wider development of the maison. My son, Karl-Fritz, works closely with me and that is perhaps the greatest gift one can receive.